


Love Lock

by day6ter



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: F/M, Short One Shot, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-29 21:38:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15082256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/day6ter/pseuds/day6ter
Summary: A short story inspired by DAY6's "You Were Beautiful"





	Love Lock

_How to use a love lock:_

_1\. Buy the lock and write your names or initials on it._

“Blue and Joey,” he carefully wrote our names on a red padlock that we bought at a store nearby. It was a cloudy and windy afternoon and we were standing in the middle of a bridge, among a number of people who were huddled along the railings. All of them were fiddling with tiny colored padlocks, the same kind that we held in our hands. It seemed to be the trend lately; these “love locks” as they call it. You buy padlocks from the store that sold these colored locks that sometimes varied in shapes, write down you and your lover’s names, lock it on the railings by the bridge nearby, and throw away the keys as a sign of your unbreakable love. I’ve noticed how popular this is for youth and adults alike by the amount of padlocks bolted on the railings along this long bridge; some are dull and rusty while some are looking bright and new. This had oddly become a tourist spot in our area; everyone seemed to stop by to leave a lock that supposedly represented an indestructible love.

I heard a click sound from where Joey was fiddling with the locks which meant he had bolted our lock in place.

“There,” he heaved a sigh and clasped his hands together.

“You picked a good spot,” I said. “It definitely stands out from all those other rusty ones especially with that bright red color.”

“As it should,” he chuckled. “Now for the best part…”

Joey took two intertwined keys from his pockets, both of which formed a heart shape on one end. I helped him separate them and when we finally did, we took each key on our palms and with closed fists, stretched them out above the river that ran beneath the bridge we were standing on.

“Let’s close our eyes and do it on three,” he suggested.

“Okay,” I nodded.

As I closed my eyes, I felt his hand intertwine with mine. Then we started counting.

“One…”

“Two…”

“Three…”

I heard a faint splash which probably meant that the small metal already hit the water. I put my hand down and faced Joey but his dark brown eyes were already looking at mine when I opened my eyes. I watched his lips slowly form a beautiful smile.

“What?” I asked, smiling back.

“Nothing, it’s just that… I love you, Blue,” he said, looking at the lock and back at me. “I do, really.”

“I know, Joey,” I said. “So do I. And honestly, I don’t think we need a lock to prove that.”

He chuckled and leaned over to kiss me. With closed eyes I kissed him back, my shaking hand discreetly placing a tiny key inside my pocket.

 

_2\. Lock it on the railings._

The sun was slowly setting and we were running late for the movie La La Land. I took a quick look at my watch only to be startled with how fast time had been running. The movie was about to start in less than an hour yet Joey and I were still in our apartment, busy preparing and rushing to get dressed since it is our “date night”. It’s been a while since we had both our weekends free; my work at a corporation had been taking most of my time and so was he at a music production company. That’s why when we found out that we had nothing planned for this weekend, we quickly booked tickets to a movie and reserved seats at a fancy restaurant. Looking at us now, though, it might not have been the best idea to book our tickets too early.

“Should I start up the engine?” Joey asked, peeking in through the bathroom door.

“Yeah sure, go ahead,” I replied. “I’ll be there in a minute or two.”

“Okay. Where are the keys though? They’re not at the table by the front door.”

“Oh, I probably left them in my bag when I went out last night. Just check my bag, it’s on the sofa.”

“Alright,” he said. “Don’t take too long, I think we can still make it on time.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said as he left. “I’m almost done.”

I checked myself on the mirror one last time and sprayed perfume behind my ears before I decided to head out. I went to the living area to take my bag and saw Joey standing there, two sets of keys in hand.

“Huh,” he was looking at something on his left palm with a blank face. “This key looks familiar…”

I walked closer to him and saw that we was holding the car keys in one hand and inspecting a small key which forms a heart shape on one end with the other.

“Tell me, Blue, does this happen to be the key of the love lock we bolted by the bridge a few weeks ago?”

My eyes went to and fro Joey and the key he was holding, my mind scrambling for things to tell him when really, I had nothing to say.

“Just tell me the truth, Blue,” he said.

“Yes,” I replied, looking directly at him. “Yes it is.”

“Huh,” he took a step back and breathed deeply. “That’s odd… I thought we both threw it away.”

“Joey…“

“I know it’s funny how I’m getting puzzled over a damn key but,” he looked at me with eyes that glinted with tears. “Did you keep it because you thought of opening that lock again? Did you think that… I don’t know… maybe it wouldn’t last?”

“No… I… I don’t know. I want us to last, I want this to last but,” I sighed. “Lately I just haven’t been as sure with you like I did before.”

He put his hand down and looked away, blinking his eyes and scrunching his nose like he always did when he was close to crying. I know because I’ve seen him do this one too many times.

“I’m so sorry,” I told him.

“Don’t be,” he replied, his hand taking something from his pocket. “I understand.”

He held another tiny key with a heart-shaped end on his hand, one that looked exactly like the key he found in my bag. “I never threw mine away either,” he said.

 

We sat next to each other on the sofa, keys in our hands, without any of us saying a word. All we could hear were our deep breaths, the strong beat of our hearts, and the sound of a clock ticking.

“Since when did you feel unsure about me?” Joey asked.

I took a deep breath, my eyes glued to the tiny object that I held on to so tightly.

“A year ago on our fifth anniversary,” I began, my eyes laid upon a framed picture of us displayed on the coffee table across where we were sitting. “I looked at us and I thought… we were so happy that nothing could possibly make us happier. Your smile was so genuine and so was mine. I was very happy being there with you and I felt that you were too. But then we went home and got some rest, and the next day I was back to the same old routine. I got up, got dressed, and I prepared to take the same damned job that I was never happy with. I looked at you every day while you wrote beautiful music with your guitar and I saw how happy you were doing the thing that you love. I got jealous of you, Joey. You were happy with where you were and what you were doing and I wasn’t.”

I breathed deeply and tried to swallow the lump forming in my throat. “So a few days later, I searched online and checked out some schools which offered film. You know how much I love filmmaking and how long I’ve wanted to walk on that path. I checked schools and prices and thought it wasn’t all that bad especially with me earning some money; I could apply for a partial scholarship and maybe that would leave me with some coins to cover my own expenses. I thought I had it figured out so I tried to apply for one, just to see if it will work out. I didn’t tell you this since I was sure that I’d never get it. But I did. And when I got the email, I felt… lighter. The worries that loomed at the back of my mind suddenly disappeared. I saw so much more opportunities in front of me. I saw myself going abroad and studying film, then maybe getting a job that would allow me to work with the actors and directors that I adore. Maybe I’ll even get to live my dream of becoming a filmmaker. But in all of my imagination, you weren’t there, Joey. I suddenly saw myself being happy and fulfilled somewhere else without you.”

I saw him slightly nodding in the corner of my eyes and I felt my heart get heavier. Silence rang louder than the ticking of the clock.

“You,” I asked. “What made you keep the key? Weren’t you happy staying with me?”

“I was. I am. You still are the most beautiful thing that happened to me. I just… I also thought I’d be much happier if I created the music that I liked.”

I looked at him, puzzled and still trying to hold back tears.

“Was I keeping you from doing the thing that you love?” I asked, my voice cracking.

“No, oh god, no,” he said, turning to face me. “It wasn’t you, Blue. You were very supportive and for that I am very grateful. The problem is me. I kept restricting myself to you. I did everything for you and completely forgot about myself. I thought I couldn’t go anywhere without you. Everything revolved around you that I didn’t know where to pick myself up. I was scared, Blue. I didn’t know who I am anymore.”

He held my hand while our tears continuously stained the sofa.

“We made beautiful melodies, Blue,” he said. “You made a symphony just for me. But I can’t stay within the same range as you, I can’t maintain the same pitch as you, and I can’t keep up with your tempo. I can’t harmonize with you any longer. I need to make my own music.”

We sat there quietly and let our eyes and hearts speak, for there were no words that could compensate for the things we lost at the moment.

 

_3\. Throw away the keys to symbolize your unbreakable love._

We stood together by the railings, the sun painting a red-orange color to the clear sky with the calm wind gently hitting our skin. Around me I heard giggles and I saw smiles. There were a few couples around and they were kissing, hugging, and taking pictures against the sunset with love locks that they relied on to signify their long-lasting love. Joey’s hand cupped the lock with our names etched on it. We were both holding on to our keys, weighing it on our fingers.

“Blue and Joey,” he sighed, his thumb caressing the lock’s surface. I looked down on my fingers, fiddled the key while tears blurred my vision. I waited for an urge to resist; I wanted to give him a reason why this shouldn’t end, but it never came. Joey lifted his hand and inserted the key onto the lock, his tears glinting against the light. I closed my eyes and felt tears run down my cheeks. I stood there waiting for the sound of a click that wouldn’t bind but would rather release.

“You know,” I heard Joey sigh.” It doesn’t really have to end like this.”

I opened my eyes to see him staring at his keys detached from the lock.

“Maybe we don’t need to remove it, maybe we don’t need to forget it,” he said. ”Erasing this wouldn’t mean it was never there. Maybe we should just leave it here and let everything stay within our memories.”

I stood there quietly, watching the sun set slowly, slowly, until all I could see was a small patch of color against the blue sky that gets darker by the second. In a flash, I saw the five years that we spent together, both the good and the bad. I heard the laughter and tears that we shared through countless joyous occasions and harsh quarrels. I felt the frustration and anger, but most importantly, the love and happiness that we endowed upon our relationship. I was mesmerized by what I was looking at that I didn’t realize I was smiling and the key was weighing less on my fingers.

“We were happy,” I nodded, “it was beautiful.”

I stretched my hand out and let the key slip away from my fingers. I watched it fall into the river that lied beneath us and faintly heard the tiny metal hit the water. Not long after, Joey does the same, his lips forming a small smile. I faced him then, wiping away my tears.

“Thank you, Joey,” I said, “you were beautiful.”

“So were you, Blue.”

With a smile and a wave goodbye, we parted ways and left the love lock of Blue and Joey behind.


End file.
